comments in others' journals

[scarfman]

From a post at spock_uhura asking what we'd like to see for the pairing in the next movie:

What would I like to see? I'd like to see any juicy, well-written storyline that doesn't break them up or threaten to break them up. After nearly half a century as a screen drama consumer, I'm getting tired of regular characters in a series failing at all relationships so that they're available, just to fail at the next relationship too. I want to see them overcome any adversity, like the Clancys on Ghost Whisperer and the DuBoises on Medium (and what's with that? Does a couple have to have supernatural powers to stay together, on tv?).

Edit: Or the Scavos on Desperate Housewives! Easy on the eyes as Teri Hatcher is, Lynette and Tom are what keep me watching that show.

Or Lily and Marshall.

Comments

[redneckgaijin.livejournal.com]

Does a couple have to have supernatural powers to stay together, on tv?

Yes- the power to thwart the diabolical prayer-wheel that is the writing staff revolving door.

It's damn near impossible to have consistent character development in the Hollywood system of multiple writers.

[scarfman]

The DuBoises at least have the advantage of being characters based on a reallife couple who don't break up.

[athelind.livejournal.com]

I won't deny that they DID overcome pretty significant adversity, but the whole Jim-Dies-And-Possesses-Sam-And-Then-Becomes-Jim-Again thing so completely derailed Ghost Whisperer for us that we had to stop watching it. My wife held out longer than I did, but finally got to the point where she was fast-forwarding through episodes.

As an aside -- was it just me, or did Jim's last name never come up during the first season? It was only in season 2 that I remember hearing the name "Clancy", and noting that Melinda didn't take her husband's name.

I think that was a quick retcon, though, when the lawyers realized that "Mrs. Gordon's husband, Jim" already had a prominent role staked out in another well-known franchise.

[stoplookingup.livejournal.com]

YES! But will Hollywood be convinced that the young male demographic can possibly think an attached male is cool?

[scarfman]

The lead is unattached, and sometimes that suffices.

[stoplookingup.livejournal.com]

Hee...I note you didn't say the young male demographic WOULD think an attached male was cool.

[scarfman]

It's been fifteen or twenty-five years since I was in position to speak for the young male demographic.

[(Anonymous)]

THIS.

I rather liked it when Trek series started to trend to more stable relationships.

So glad to have found your blog...are those terrific "Doctor Who Armchair Story Editor" pieces posted here? I can only find half of Wrath of Khan on Google Groups. I gotta say, I loved the idea.

Sorry about that...

[jschillig.livejournal.com]

...I wasn't logged in.

BTW, long before the Spock/Uhura pairing was made canon, there was at least one writer who picked up the idea and ran with it! Her name's Wildcat and she did a series of stories based on the idea. The only one I've read is a PHENOMENAL one called "The Most Forgiven", which deals with the fallout from Spock's mental "rape" of Valeris.

Re: Sorry about that...

[scarfman]

I remember seeing some S/U in the days when fanfiction had to be copied and stapled and sent through the mail, when slashes were still just punctuation marks; but I don't remember whose they were. Of course the relevent scenes from Man Trap and from Charlie X were discussed occasionally, but now that they're being linked from YouTube all the time I wonder that there was never more of it.

The only Armchair Doctor Who Story Editor pieces I've put online were Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Wrath of Khan (my first and my favorite, respectively, of all those I ever conceived), serialized on alt.drwho.creative on Fridays in November 1996 and April 1997 respectively. The search engine at Google Groups has gotten atrocious lately, but I've found if you search by dates instead of by keywords it'll bring up things it'll ignore otherwise. Of course, now that I've had a request, chances are I'll reprint them here. Or make a Four Panels out of them, for which I actually have a script already for Ringworld.